I am considering a complete suspension upgrade, front and rear. Does someone have a list of all the suspension items that would be necessary to make this upgrade? Any reccomendations of name brand parts to use? Any info would be appreciated.........

 

it'd help if you said what the end result was you're after, or the application.

 

check out the PST or PSC front end rebuild kit which will include most everythign that you will need to rebuild at least the front end. Run a quick search for these kits and you'll find all the necessary info on those kits. If you want to piece it all together then Moog parts are definitely the way to go.

For the struts and shocks you got a lot of options, I personally opted for the KYB struts and shocks from tirerack and got them shipped to my door for like $160 for all 4 only because i'm on a college level budget. But frankly i'm very happy with them and they're a great improvement over my old worn out stock pieces, many of the other members have also had good reviews about that product. If you got a little more cash to spend then Bilstein's or Koni's are awesome products but thats a good chunk of change we'd be talking about.

For springs most people on the boards tend to stick with the Eibach springs, run a search for those and you'll find reviews on them.

If you're also looking into stiffening up your chassis hit up the sponsor Spohn, he carries everything you'll need from LCA's, SFC's, panhard bars, swaybars, everything you would need to totally make your chassis rock hard. Once again run a search on these items and you'll get all the necessary info.

 

Yeah, end results may be a good idea. If you want an idea of what to replace, jack up your car, crawl under. Basically, everything connecting your wheels to the body would be replaced. Just a simple list, shocks/struts, springs, bushings, sway bars, panhard rod/track bar, rear lower control arms/trailing arms, ball joints, center link, idler arm, outer and inner tie rod ends.

 

My apologies, I am after a daily driver that will eventually have good torque and moderate HP. I am not into drag racing or street racing but love to just get out and drive, highway, backroads you name it. I just want a solid feel, good response and peace of mind. Also I will be adding 17in wheels and tires. I need to replace everything, as I am the original owner and the car is 17 yrs old now and completely bone stock.

 

i'd replace all the normal front end parts, ball joint, tie rod ends, etc. with moog replacements as well as struts and springs. for the rear i'd use poly bushings, either box control arms and pan hard rod or buy aftermarket. aftermarket torque arm would be good too, but expensive. air bags for the rear springs might help you out too. like "they" say preformance cost money, how fast can you afford to go?

 

What ede said. For shocks and springs, look into Moog springs. I assume you don't want lowering springs, and the little bits that go with it too. Moog makes replacement height springs that are firmer. KYB shocks/struts would go over well. I use the Eibach Pro-Kit and Bilstein shocks. I would start with the shocks and springs and go with one of the front end rebuild kits. PSC gets good recommendations. http://www.performancesuspension.com/gmfek.htm . If you don't want to tinker or lube the polyurethane bushings, just go with the stock rubber ones, or some firmer rubber bushings from GM.

Edit: the PSC kit is missing the center link, you would need that. Also, the PSC kit uses polygraphite bushings. You could look at the kit, and price things out individually. http://www.summitracing.com, and look for the parts individually, then go find the rubber bushings you need most desparately.

Also replace the endlinks and bushings on your swaybars with 1LE endlinks http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=65 and see if you can find rubber bushings from GM. If you don't mind lubing, greaseable poly bushings would be recommended. Poly bushings here are the easiest to lube and get too, so poly here wouldn't hurt if you don't mind getting under to lube. http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=43 and http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=67 For swaybars, just look for the 36mm and 24mm sway bars if you need them (just measure what you have first). http://www.top-downsolutions.com also sells them. There are solid chrome moly bars out there, but you probably don't need it, and they are more expensive. lonsal posts here and is top-downsolutions, so you can talk to him about stuff pertaining to top-downsolutions. Steve Spohn also posts here, and represents spohn.net, but his stuff is more performance oriented and may not be what you are looking for. Both are sponsors here, and you can reach their sites from the banners up top.

Replace your tranny mount too (probably making a clunking sound under your floorboards by now) and probably the torque arm mount at the end of the tranny. The big things are the shocks/struts, the front end parts (which are usually replaced during regular service for the most part, just look for receipts and stuff so you don't replace something that has just been replaced), and the bushings and ball joints. Firm rubber is good to use, doesn't squeak nor does it require lubing maintenance for the most part. It'll feel like a new car after that. Firmer, a bit stiffer than factory, but not rock hard racing firm, nor will it squeak from poly bushings. The steering will also be tightened up, from replacing worn components more than anything else.

After that, you can look into other things, like subframe connectors, strut tower braces, trailing arms, panhard rods, torque arms, etc. Chances are you won't need it, but you may get bitten with the speed and handling bug. Subframe connectors would be the first thing I would add, personally. It'll really help stiffen up an old chassis.